Located on a stretch of Third Avenue dotted with delis and pizza joints on one end of the spectrum and noisy, twenty-something hangouts on the other, this unassuming neighborhood Vietnamese stands out for its uniformly solid food and reasonable prices. Anh hovers somewhere between the unsanitary dive and the fusion hotspot, refreshingly never striving to be more than what it is: a dependable ethnic local. The menu covers the usua...

Located on a stretch of Third Avenue dotted with delis and pizza joints on one end of the spectrum and noisy, twenty-something hangouts on the other, this unassuming neighborhood Vietnamese stands out for its uniformly solid food and reasonable prices. Anh hovers somewhere between the unsanitary dive and the fusion hotspot, refreshingly never striving to be more than what it is: a dependable ethnic local. The menu covers the usual Vietnamese fare with no particular emphasis on any region and includes the universally loved "pho" (noodles, meat and condiments in beef broth), grilled meats over vermicelli noodles, crispy whole fish, stir-fries and other sautéed dishes. While the menu focuses on simple family fare, it also includes such exotic specialties as "chao tom" (shrimp paste molded around real sugarcane and grilled).
In traditional Asian fashion, the desserts are limited to sweet fruit-based concoctions that are usually an acquired taste. If you need a palate cleanser (although the cuisine here is not as salty as that of comparable restaurants), stick with fruit or ice cream. Every neighborhood should have a few restaurants like Anh where diners can drop in for a family-style meal in clean, simple surroundings, and with little fanfare; also note that it is close enough for dinner before a movie at the AMC Loews Kips Bay 15.